Wagering interface

ABSTRACT

A wagering interface is disclosed for a gaming apparatus, for applying a wager when playing a game. The wagering interface comprises a display screen for displaying at least a portion of the game being played and a slider which is repositionable along a slider path orientated to extend from a lower portion of the display to an upper portion of the display. The wager applied when playing the game is dependent on the position of the slider along the path which thus provides a gamer with a visual indication of the wager applied, and thus enables the gamer to better coordinate the application of the wager.

The present invention relates to a wagering interface.

Gaming machines involving the application of a wager for the benefit ofa possible pay out are well known and are generally referred to as slotmachines. Slot machines typically comprise a display screen mountedwithin a housing for displaying the game, and a plurality of buttonsmounted on a button panel separate to the display. The buttons aretypically assigned a specific function such as for starting the game,collecting a win and placing a wager. However, as games have become morecomplicated, there has been an increase in the number of requiredbuttons and this has led to the button panel becoming cluttered.

In an attempt to overcome this problem, gaming machines comprisingsmaller buttons have been developed, in addition to machines comprisingbuttons mounted on the display screen. However, in both situations, thisoften results in the gamer pressing an incorrect button owing to theproximal nature of the buttons to each other, which can result in anunintentional loss of the game. This is particularly problematic whenapplying a wager since a gamer can otherwise lose a significant credit.

In accordance with the present invention as seen from a first aspect,there is provided a wagering interface for applying a wager when playinga game, the wagering interface comprising a display screen fordisplaying at least a portion of the game being played, and a sliderwhich is repositionable along a slider path which is orientated toextend from a lower portion of the display to an upper portion of thedisplay, wherein the slider path comprises a plurality of graduatedmarkings distributed therealong, the slider being attracted to alocation of a marking disposed proximate thereto, such that the slideris required to overcome a threshold attraction to the location of theproximate marking in order to move along the path to a location of anadjacent marking, and

wherein the wager applied when playing the game is dependent on theposition of the slider along the path.

Advantageously, the disposition of the slider and slider path on thedisplay releases further space on a button panel for further buttonoperated functionality, whereas the alignment of the slider path fromthe lower region to the upper region of the display offers a moreintuitive selection and indication of the wager applied. Moreover, thedisposition of the slider and slider path on the display provides for areadily viewable indication of the wager while playing the game, withoutotherwise requiring a gamer to divert their viewing direction away fromthe display, such as to the button panel.

In an embodiment, the display screen comprises a touch sensitive screenand the slider and slider path comprise a visual representation of aslider and slider path on the screen. In this case, the slider may berepositioned along the slider path by a gamer placing their finger onthe representation of the slider on the screen and then moving theirfinger along the representation of the slider path on the screen. Uponremoving their finger from the screen, the slider is then arranged toremain at the position along the slider path. Alternatively however, theslider and slider path may comprise a physical slider mounted forsliding along a physical slider path, such as a rail.

Preferably, the wagering interface further comprises a controller forcontrolling the display of the slider and slider path on the displayscreen. The controller may comprise a processor for processing theposition of the slider along the slider path to determine the wagerapplied and may be further arranged to execute the display of the gameon the display screen.

In an embodiment, the displayed game may offer a plurality of selectablewin combinations per play and the wager applied may be dependent on thenumber of win combinations selected. Accordingly, the wagering interfacemay comprise a first slider which is repositionable along a first sliderpath, orientated to extend from a lower portion of the display to anupper portion of the display, to vary the wager applied per wincombination selected, for example, and a second slider which isrepositionable along a second slider path, orientated to extend from alower portion of the display to an upper portion of the display, to varythe number of selectable win combinations, for example.

The first slider and first slider path, and the second slider and secondslider path are beneficially disposed at opposite sides of the display.This separation of sliders and corresponding slider paths minimises anyuntoward manipulation of a particular slider when operating the otherslider, for example.

Preferably, the first and second slider paths comprise substantiallylinear paths and opposite ends of each slider path are preferablyarranged to indicate a minimum and maximum value, respectively, such asa minimum and maximum wager per win combination and a minimum andmaximum number of selectable win combinations. In this respect, theposition of the slider along each respective path provides the gamerwith a visual indication of the wager applied and thus enables the gamerto better coordinate the application of the wager.

In accordance with the present invention as seen from a second aspect,there is provided gaming apparatus, the apparatus comprising a housingand a wagering interface according to the first aspect supported withinthe housing.

In accordance with the present invention as seen from a third aspect,there is provided a computer implemented method of applying a wager whenplaying a game viewed on a display screen, the method comprisingrepositioning a slider along a slider path comprising a plurality ofgraduated markings distributed therealong and which extends from a lowerportion of the display screen to an upper portion of a display screen,the method further comprising overcoming a threshold attraction betweenthe slider and a location of a graduated marking located proximatethereto in order to move the slider to a location of an adjacentmarking, wherein the wager applied when playing the game is dependent onthe position of the slider along the path.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way ofexample only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a gaming apparatus according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2a is a view of a display screen comprising a wagering interfaceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2b is a view of a display screen comprising a wagering interfaceaccording to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2c is a view of a display screen comprising a wagering interfaceaccording to a further alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a computer comprising a controllerwhich is mountable within the housing of the gaming apparatus; and,

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the steps associated with acomputer implemented method according to an embodiment of the presentinvention; and,

FIG. 5 is a schematic profile of the relative position of the displayarea relative to a gamer, as the gamer moves a slider along a sliderpath.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a gamingapparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention forplaying a game involving the application of a wager. The gamingapparatus 10 includes a housing 12 having a display area 14 and a buttonpanel (not shown) for enabling a gamer to control functions associatedwith the game, such as “start” for commencing the game and “collect” forcollecting a pay out. In an embodiment, the gaming apparatus 10comprises a slot machine, which is understood to comprise any gamingapparatus that is capable of enabling a player to play for entertainmentwith a possibility of a payout.

The display area 14 is arranged to accommodate a wagering interface 16having a display screen 16 a, which is supported by the housing 12 andwhich is arranged to display at least a portion of a game to be played.The interface 16 is mounted to face a gamer, who may be standing orsitting in proximity to the apparatus 10. In one embodiment of theinvention, the interface 16 includes a digital display that is angledwith respect to the floor to face a gamer. In another embodiment of theinvention, the interface 16 includes a mechanical display that islikewise angled to face a gamer. It can be appreciated that hybridarrangements having both digital and mechanical components arecontemplated herein and the angle of the interface is adapted to face agamer depending on, among other things, the height of the apparatus 10.

In an embodiment of the invention, the interface 16 comprises a set offive primary reels 18 sharing a common axis 20. In one embodiment of theinvention, the reels 18 are physical objects, for example rotatablediscs having a display surface 22 disposed on a periphery thereof, fordisplaying symbols 24. In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2of the drawings, the reels 18 comprise electronic images, beingelectronically represented as virtual rotatable discs having aperipheral edge with a display surface 22.

The display surface 22 of each reel 18 comprises a plurality of symbols24 which may comprise playing card values, such as King, Jack, Queen,Joker and various numerical card values. The symbols 24 may also includeany other symbols that create interest to a player. The symbols 24 caninclude digital images, or video-streamed images, or a combinationthereof.

The reels 18 are separately arranged to independently rotate about theaxis 20, which is common to the reels 18. Referring to FIG. 2 of thedrawings, the displayed symbols 24 are aligned to a grid of five columnsand three rows. The location of the symbols 24 on the reels 18collectively define a plurality of separate win combinations or paylines26. The win determination of a payline 26 is based on a horizontal,diagonal, or both horizontal and diagonal alignment of symbols, such asthose illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

The paylines 26 are displayed on the screen 16 a and a gamer may selectthe number of paylines 26 which are to be used when determining a win,in accordance with the position of a slider 28 which is repositionablealong a slider path 30. The slider path 30 comprises a substantiallylinear path which is disposed at one side of the screen 16 a, which inthe illustrated embodiment comprises the left side of the screen 16 a.The slider path 30 extends from a lower portion of the screen 16 a to anupper portion of the screen 16 a, in a direction which is substantiallyperpendicular to the rotational axis 20 of the reels 18. The lowermostand uppermost part of the path 30 respectively indicate a minimum andmaximum number of possible selectable paylines 26, such that theposition of the slider 28 along the path 30 is representative of thenumber of paylines 26 selected and provides for a visual indication ofthe number of paylines 26 selected.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2a of the drawings, the gamer isfurther required to select a wager which is applied per selected payline26, such that the total wager applied when playing the game is dependenton the number of selected paylines 26 and the wager applied per payline26. The wager applied per selected payline 26 is dependent on theposition of a further slider 32 which is similarly repositionable alonga further slider path 34. The slider path 34 similarly comprises asubstantially linear path which is disposed at the side of the screen 16a, which is opposite the side comprising the slider 28, which in theillustrated embodiment comprises the right side of the screen 16 a. Theslider path 34 extends from a lower portion of the screen 16 a to anupper portion of the screen 16 a, in a direction which is substantiallyperpendicular to the rotational axis 20 of the reels 18. The lowermostand uppermost part of the path 34 respectively indicate a minimum andmaximum wager, such that the position of the slider 32 along the path 34is representative of the wager applied per payline 26 and provides avisual indication of the wager applied.

The slider paths 30, 34 separately comprise a graduated scale having aplurality of graduated markings 30 a, 34 a. The markings 30 a, 34 acomprise integral values of the scale. For example, in the case of theslider path 30, the markings 30 a comprise integral values of the numberof paylines 26, namely 1, 2, 3 etc, whereas in the case of the sliderpath 34, the markings 34 a comprise integral values for the wagerapplied per payline 26, such as £1, £2 etc.

The slider paths 30, 34 are arranged to attract the respective slider28, 32 to the location of the markings 30 a, 34 a such that the sliders28, 32 “jump locate” to the nearest marking when moving along therespective path 30, 34. It is found that this further minimizes anymisapplication of the wager or selection of the paylines 26, since thegamer is required to overcome a threshold attraction between the slider28, 32 and the location of the proximate marking in order to move theslider 28, 32 along the respective slider path 30, 34 to an adjacentmarking. In addition, the sliders 28, 32 are arranged to display theselected value to the gamer to provide further verification to the gamerof the selected value. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, a pop-upwindow 46, 48 may be displayed upon moving a slider 28, 32 along therespective path 30, 34, as illustrated in FIGS. 2b and 2c of thedrawings. The pop-up window 46, 48 is arranged to display informationrelating to the position of the slider 28, 32 along the respective path.For example, upon moving slider 28 (as illustrated in FIG. 2b of thedrawings) a pop-up window 46 is arranged to appear adjacent the slider28, which displays the total number of pay lines selected correspondingto the position of the slider 28 along the path 30. Similarly, uponmoving slider 32, a pop-up window 48 may appear adjacent the slider 32which displays the wager applied per line and the total wager applied.The window 46, 48 displayed upon moving a slider 28, 32 is arranged tomove with the position of the slider 28 32 along the respective path 30,34 and is further arranged to fade or otherwise disappear once theslider 28, 32 has remained stationary along the respective path 30, 34,for a predetermined time.

The gaming apparatus 10 further comprises a computer 36 having acontroller 38 as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings, which ismountable within the housing 12 thereof, and which is arranged tocontrol the operation of the game and thus the wagering interface 16.The controller 38 comprises a memory 40 for storing the software for oneor more games to be played on the apparatus 10 and a processor 42 forexecuting the one or more games. The processor 42 is further arranged todetermine the total wager applied per play of a particular game and thewin amount derived from a particular win combination being achieved.

Referring to FIG. 4 of the drawings, there is illustrated a schematicillustration of a computer implemented method 100 of applying a wagerwhen playing a game viewed on a display screen 16 a, such as a gameassociated with the above described gaming apparatus 10. When using thegaming apparatus 10 and thus the wagering interface 16 as describedabove, the gamer is first required to apply one or more credits to theapparatus 10 via a credit slot at step 102, such as a coin slot disposedin the housing 12 of the apparatus 10. The credit is subsequentlyverified via a credit reader (not shown) at step 104, which authorizesthe controller 38 to execute the game at step 106 in dependence of theapplied credit exceeding a credit threshold, such as a minimum payment.The gamer then selects the required wager by sliding the sliders 28, 32along the respective slider path 30, 34 at step 108, to select thenumber of possible paylines 26 and the wager per payline 26. It is to beappreciated however that the total wager applied cannot exceed thecredit applied to play the game. In this respect, the sliders 28, 32 andslider paths 30, 34 provide the gamer with an intuitively verifiablemeans of determining the wager applied when playing the game.

In situations where the sliders 28, 32 and slider paths 30, 34 arerepresented virtually on the touch sensitive screen 16 a, the gamermoves the slider 28, 32 along the respective path by placing theirfinger on the representation of the slider 28, 32 on the screen 16 a andthen moving their finger along the representation of the slider path 30,34 on the screen 16 a. The memory 40 comprises information relating tothe position of the markings 30 a, 34 a along the paths 30, 34 and thecontroller 38 is arranged to monitor for the position of the gamers'finger along the slider path 30, 34 and determine the nearest marking tothe gamers' finger by cross-referencing the position of the gamersfinger with the known locations of the markings 30 a, 34 a. In anembodiment, as the gamer moves their finger along the path 30, 34, theslider will begin to move from its initial location but lag behind thelocation of the gamers finger as an indication to the gamer of theslider's 28, 32 attraction to its initial position/marking 30 a, 34 a.However, as the gamer's finger moves closer to an adjacent marking 30 a,34 a the slider 28, 32 will jump locate to the adjacent marking 30 a, 34a. In an alternative embodiment, the slider 28, 32 is arranged to followthe movement of the gamers' finger along the path 30 34 and when thegamer lifts their finger from the screen 16 a, the slider 28, 32 isarranged to jump locate to the nearest marking 30 a, 34 a at a speedrepresentative of the separation of the slider 28, 32 from the nearestmarking 30 a, 34 a. In a further embodiment, the gamer can select thedesired position of the slider 28, 32 along the respective path 30, 34by touching the corresponding marking 30 a, 34 a along the path 30, 34.This causes the slider 28, 32 to jump along the respective path 30, 34and locate at the selected marking 30 a, 34 a.

In a further embodiment, the apparatus is further arranged to provide atactile feedback to the gamer when operating the movement of the slider28, 32 on the display screen 16 a. The position of the gamers' fingerand thus the slider 28, 32 along the slider path 30, 34 is determined bythe controller 38 or a further controller (not shown), such as a 3MMicroTouch™ EX II-9000 controller. The location of the gamers' finger iscommunicated from the controller 38 to the processor 42, whichsubsequently interrogates the memory 40 for one of a plurality ofpre-stored tactile sensations. The apparatus 10 further comprises aplurality of actuators 50 (as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings) forcreating the desired tactile sensation, such as a vibration. The gamingsoftware may comprise preferred sensations for particular locations ofthe gamers' finger along the slider path 30, 34. For example, the typeof sensation and/or the intensity of the sensation may relate to thevalue of the selected wager. In this case, when the gamer moves theirfinger along the slider path 30 (for example), then as their fingerapproaches the marker representing two paylines, two vibrations may begenerated. As the gamers' finger approaches the marker representingthree paylines, then three vibrations may be generated, which may alsobe of a greater intensity than that generated at the marker representingtwo paylines. It is envisaged that this tactile feedback could provideadditional confidence for the gamer when selecting the desired wager.

In yet a further embodiment, the controller 38 is arranged to varyingthe size and/or the magnification of the displayed game including thesliders 28, 32 and slider paths 30, 34 on the display screen 16 a. Asthe gamer moves the slider 28, 32 along the slider path 30, 34, thecontroller 38 is arranged to vary the magnification and/or size of thedisplayed game in dependence of the position of the slider 28, 32 alongthe path 30, 34. For example, in situations where the gamer moves theslider upwardly of the respective path 30, 34 to increase the wager,then the controller 38 may be arranged to increase the magnification ofthe displayed game. Conversely, in situations where the gamer moves theslider 28, 32 downwardly of the respective path 30, 34, then thecontroller 38 may be arranged to reduce the magnification of thedisplayed game. This creates the impression upon the gamer that thedisplayed game moves toward and away from the gamers position andfurther emphasises the increase and decrease in applied wager,respectively. Once the desired wager has been applied, namely once theslider 28, 32 has remained stationary at a particular position along therespective path 30, 34 for a predetermined time, then the controller 38is further arranged to restore the displayed game to a neutral orotherwise initial magnification state, ready for the application ofsubsequent wager.

However, it is also envisaged that the display area 14 comprising thedisplay screen 16 may be arranged to physically move relative to theposition of the gamer, in accordance with the position of the slider 28,32 along the slider path 30, 34. Referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings,there is illustrated a schematic illustration of the display area 14orientated within an x-y plane, and the relative movement of the displayarea 14 along a z-axis relative to the gamer, in accordance with theposition of a slider 28, 32 along the respective path 30, 34. Inparticular, the display area 14 is arranged to move between a first andsecond position as the gamer moves the slider 28, 32 along therespective path 30, 34.

For example, the controller 38 may be arranged to monitor the positionof the slider 28, 32 and actuate one or more motors (not shown) to causethe display area 14 to move away from the gamer through a distance ofapproximately 1-5 mm as the slider 28, 32 locates to a graduation marker30 a, 34 a. The controller and motor are further arranged to return thedisplay area 14 to its original position after the slider 28, 32 hasremained stationary for a predetermined time or if the gamer continuesto move the slider 28, 32 toward an adjacent marker 30 a, 34 a. Themovement of the display area 14 is arranged to provide a furtherindication to the gamer of the location of the slider 28, 32 along therespective path 30, 34.

In situations where the sliders 28, 32 and slider paths 30, 34 arerepresented by a physical slider (not shown) mounted on a physicalslider path, such as a rail (not shown), then the gamer can simply gripthe slider (not shown) and move the slider along the rail (not shown) tothe desired position. In this case, the slider 28, 32 may be attractedto the locations of the markings 30 a, 34 a along the rail (not shown)by a series of magnets (not shown). For example, the rail (not shown)may comprise a plurality of magnetic stations (not shown), separatelydisposed at a location along the rail corresponding to the location ofthe markings 30 a, 34 a, and the magnetic stations (not shown) arearranged to interact with a magnetic arrangement (not shown) disposed onthe slider 28, 32. In this embodiment, the tactile feedback may beprovided by one or more actuators (not shown) disposed within the slider28, 32, which are arranged to provide tactile feedback. The feedbackprovided by the one or more actuators (not shown) may similarly vary independence of the location of the slider 28, 32 along the rail, whichmay be separately determined by one or more sensors (not shown) disposedalong the rail, for example.

In either situation however, the sliders 28, 32 and slider paths 30, 34provide the gamer with a clear representation of the wager applied forthe game, and this representation remains in the gamer's field of viewwhen playing the game, so that the gamer remains aware of the wagerapplied.

Once the desired wager has been set at step 108, this is then displayedon a portion 16 b of the display screen 16 a. The gamer subsequentlycommences the game, namely the rotation of the reels 18 by pressing theappropriate button on the button panel (not shown) of the apparatus 10at step 110, or in the case of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 ofthe drawings, the “start” button 44 represented on the display screen 16a. Once the reels 18 have stopped rotating, the processor 42subsequently determines whether the alignment of symbols 24 along theselected paylines 26 correspond with a winning combination, at step 112.In the event that the alignment of symbols 24 along one or more selectedpaylines 26 corresponds with a winning combination, the processor 42 isarranged to credit the gamer with the winning amount at step 114.However, in the event that the alignment of symbols 24 along theselected paylines 26 do not correspond with a winning combination, thenthe processor 42 is arranged to retain the credit within a credit bin(not shown) disposed within the housing 12 of the apparatus 10, at step116.

From the foregoing therefore, it is evident that the provision of thesliders 28, 32 and the orientation of the slider paths 30, 34 enable agamer to readily apply a wager, and further facilitate the applicationof the intended wager by providing a clear visual representation of thewager to the gamer.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A wagering interface for applying a wagerwhen playing a game, the wagering interface comprising a display screenfor displaying at least a portion of the game being played and at leastone slider which is repositionable along a slider path, wherein theslider path comprises a plurality of graduated markings distributedtherealong, the at least one slider being attracted to a location of amarking disposed proximate thereto, such that the at least one slider isrequired to overcome a threshold attraction to the location of theproximate marking in order to move along the path to a location of anadjacent marking, the at least one slider including a first slider whichis repositionable along a first slider path, orientated to extend from alower portion of the display to an upper portion of the display and asecond slider which is repositionable along a second slider path,orientated to extend from a lower portion of the display to an upperportion of the display, and wherein the wager applied when playing thegame is dependent on the position of the at least one slider along thepath.
 2. An interface according to claim 1, wherein the display screencomprises a touch sensitive screen and the at least one slider andslider path comprise a visual representation of a slider and slider pathon the screen.
 3. An interface according to claim 1, wherein the atleast one slider and slider path comprise a physical slider mounted forsliding along a physical slider path.
 4. An interface according to claim1, further comprising a controller for controlling the display of the atleast one slider and slider path on the display screen.
 5. An interfaceaccording to claim 4, wherein the controller comprises a processor forprocessing the position of the at least one slider along the slider pathto determine the wager applied.
 6. An interface according to claim 4,wherein the controller is arranged to vary a magnification and/or sizeof at least the portion of the displayed game in dependence of theposition of the at least one slider along the slider path.
 7. Aninterface according to claim 4, wherein the controller is arranged tovary a position of the display screen relative to a gamer in dependenceof the position of the at least one slider along the slider path.
 8. Aninterface according to claim 1, wherein the first slider and firstslider path, and the second slider and second slider path are disposedat opposite sides of the display screen.
 9. An interface according toclaim 1, wherein the slider path comprises a substantially linear path.10. An interface according to claim 1, wherein opposite ends of theslider path is arranged to indicate a minimum and maximum value.
 11. Aninterface according to claim 1, further comprising at least one actuatorfor generating a tactile sensation to a gamer when moving the at leastone slider.
 12. An interface according to claim 11, wherein the tactilesensation generated by the at least one actuator is dependent on thelocation of the at least one slider along the slider path.
 13. Gamingapparatus comprising: a housing and a wagering interface supportedwithin the housing, the wagering interface including: a display screenfor displaying at least a portion of the game being played and at leastone slider which is repositionable along a slider path, wherein theslider path comprises a plurality of graduated markings distributedtherealong, the at least one slider being attracted to a location of amarking disposed proximate thereto, such that the at least one slider isrequired to overcome a threshold attraction to the location of theproximate marking in order to move along the path to a location of anadjacent marking, the at least one slider including a first slider whichis repositionable along a first slider path, orientated to extend from alower portion of the display to an upper portion of the display and asecond slider which is repositionable along a second slider path,orientated to extend from a lower portion of the display to an upperportion of the display, and wherein the wager applied when playing thegame is dependent on the position of the at least one slider along thepath.
 14. A computer implemented method of applying a wager when playinga game viewed on a display screen, the method comprising repositioningat least one slider along a slider path comprising a plurality ofgraduated markings distributed therealong, overcoming a thresholdattraction between the at least one slider and a location of a graduatedmarking located proximate thereto in order to move the at least oneslider to a location of an adjacent marking, the at least one sliderincluding a first slider which is repositionable along a first sliderpath, orientated to extend from a lower portion of the display to anupper portion of the display and a second slider which is repositionablealong a second slider path, orientated to extend from a lower portion ofthe display to an upper portion of the display, wherein the wagerapplied when playing the game is dependent on the position of the atleast one slider along the path.
 15. A method according to claim 14,further comprising generating a tactile sensation to a gamer when movingthe at least one slider.
 16. A method according to claim 14, furthercomprising varying a magnification and/or size of at least a portion ofthe displayed game in dependence of the position of the at least oneslider along the slider path.
 17. A method according to claim 14,further comprising varying a position of the display screen relative toa gamer in dependence of the position of the at least one slider alongthe slider path.